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[UPDATE] Queens Nail Salon Worker Allegedly Stabbed To Death By Estranged Husband
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 8, 2019
Modified Aug 8, 2019
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 8, 2019
Modified Aug 8, 2019
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[SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE]
A nail salon worker was fatally stabbed at work in Jackson Heights on Wednesday night, and her estranged husband is reportedly in police custody following the murder.
The victim, Carmen Iris Santiago, 35, was attacked at the Tu S'tilo nail salon and spa at 37th Avenue in Queens shortly before 7 p.m. yesterday. Police say she was bleeding from multiple stab wounds to the torso when first responders arrived at the scene. Santiago was rushed to Elmhurst General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
A 39-year-old man was taken into custody at the scene "without incident," according to police, and is currently hospitalized with a laceration to his arm.
Graphic video from the salon, obtained by the Daily News, shows the man, believed to be her estranged husband, lying on top of Santiago's body immediately following the stabbing. PIX 11 reports that he slit his wrists following the attack.
(Via Tu S'tilo Nail Salon)
Sources tell the News that Santiago had been married to the unidentified man for four years, but they had separated in January.
“She said that he was aggressive, and she was a little scared, but never enough to think this [would happen],” a friend of Santiago's told the News. "She said he wanted her to live with him but she said she didn’t want to be with him. She said she didn’t want him to know where she lived.”
No charges have been filed against the man in custody as of Thursday morning, but a spokesperson said the investigation is ongoing.
UPDATE 1:25 p.m.: The NYPD announced this afternoon that officers have arrested 39-year-old Queens resident William Rivas, charging him with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
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jackson heights
nail salon
queens
stabbing
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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